Washing appliance

ABSTRACT

A washing appliance configured to heat water supplied to the washing appliance by utilizing heated process water drained from a compartment of the washing appliance arranged to accommodate goods to be cleaned. The washing appliance comprises a tank configured to contain the water being supplied to the compartment of the washing appliance, a valve configured to be in fluid communication with said tank to control a flow of the water contained in the tank being supplied to the compartment of the washing appliance, a fresh water conduit extending inside the tank, the fresh water conduit being configured to transport the water supplied to the washing appliance, a drain water conduit configured to transport the drained heated process water, the drain water conduit being arranged to extend inside, and coaxially with, the fresh water conduit inside the tank.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a washing appliance configured to heat water supplied to the washing appliance by utilizing heated process water drained from a compartment of the washing appliance.

BACKGROUND

In washing appliances such as washing machines or dish washers heated drain water can be used to heat cold water supplied to the appliance, which is highly desired from a sustainability perspective.

Initially, fresh and usually cold water is supplied to a compartment of the washing appliance. The cold water is heated by a heater to a desired temperature before being mixed with detergent—thereby creating process water for cleaning goods in the appliance.

When the process water is determined to be too soiled for being recirculated in the compartment, a drain pump drains the soiled hot process water for transport to a heat exchanger, where the heat of the process water is utilized to heat cold fresh water being supplied to the appliance, as disclosed for instance in US 2012/0047961.

Such heat exchangers are typically relatively complex and bulky, and there is thus room for improvement.

SUMMARY

An object is to solve, or at least mitigate, this problem in the art and thus to provide an improved washing appliance configured to heat water supplied to the washing appliance by utilizing heated process water drained from a compartment of the washing appliance.

In an aspect of the invention, a washing appliance is provided being configured to heat water supplied to the washing appliance by utilizing heated process water drained from a compartment of the washing appliance arranged to accommodate goods to be cleaned. The washing appliance comprises a tank configured to contain the water being supplied to the compartment of the washing appliance, a valve configured to be in fluid communication with said tank to control a flow of the water contained in the tank being supplied to the compartment of the washing appliance, a fresh water conduit extending inside the tank, the fresh water conduit being configured to transport the water supplied to the washing appliance, a drain water conduit configured to transport the drained heated process water, the drain water conduit being arranged to extend inside, and coaxially with, the fresh water conduit inside the tank.

Advantageously, the arranging of the fresh water conduit and the drain water conduit inside the tank provides for an integrated and less bulky heat exchanger structure as compared to the art.

In an embodiment, the fresh water conduit and the drain water conduit are arranged along a periphery of the inside of the tank.

In an embodiment, the drain pump is configured to drain the heated process water in the compartment into a drain water inlet of the tank and subsequently into a sewer or a waste water tank.

In an embodiment, the tank is arranged on an external side of a main body of the washing appliance.

In an embodiment, the valve being configured to control flow of the water contained in the tank to the compartment (104) of the washing appliance comprises a solenoid valve.

In an embodiment, the tank comprises a fresh water inlet of the tank via which water is supplied to one end of the fresh water conduit, said fresh water inlet being arranged at a lower section on one side of the tank, and the fresh water conduit comprises a fresh water outlet of the tank via which heated fresh water exits the fresh water conduit in another end, said fresh water outlet being arranged at a lower section on an opposite side of the tank.

In an embodiment, the washing appliance further comprises a fresh water inlet valve for controlling the flow of water into the fresh water inlet.

In an embodiment, the washing appliance further comprises a softener device to which the fresh water is supplied, the softener device being configured to soften the supplied fresh water, a bypass conduit configured to provide a direct connection between the fresh water inlet and the valve configured to control the flow of water contained in the tank to the compartment of the washing appliance, via which bypass conduit a softener waste product is discharged into the compartment, and a check valve connected between the valve configured to control the flow of water contained in the tank to the compartment and a tank outlet via which heated fresh water is supplied to the compartment, the check valve being configured to allow fluid flow in a direction from the tank outlet to the valve configured to control the flow of water contained in the tank to the compartment and to prevent fluid flow in the opposite direction, thereby preventing the softener waste product from contacting the fresh water in the tank.

In an embodiment, the water supplied to the compartment of the washing appliance is configured to be transported in the fresh water conduit in a first direction while the drained heated process water is configured to be transported in the drain water conduit in a second opposite direction.

In an embodiment, an interior of the fresh water conduit comprises protruding turbulators. In a further embodiment, the protruding turbulators are arranged on different sides along the length of the fresh water conduit.

Generally, all terms used in the claims are to be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the technical field, unless explicitly defined otherwise herein. All references to “a/an/the element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc.” are to be interpreted openly as referring to at least one instance of the element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise. The steps of any method disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless explicitly stated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects and embodiments are now described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a general working principle of a dish washer according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 illustrates a tank being arranged on an external side of a main body of a dish washer according to an embodiment;

FIG. 3 illustrates a tank according to an embodiment where a front side has been removed, thereby showing an interior of the tank;

FIG. 4 illustrates the flow of fresh water into the tank of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 illustrates how a main part of the sump valve is physically located at a back side of the tank;

FIG. 6 illustrates a dish washer comprising a softener device according to a further embodiment;

FIG. 7 illustrates an interior of a tank comprising a softener waste bypass conduit according to an embodiment;

FIG. 8 illustrates the fresh water conduit comprising protruding turbulators according to an embodiment; and

FIG. 9 illustrates the drain water conduit being located on the protruding turbulators according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The aspects of the present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which certain embodiments of the invention are shown.

These aspects may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limiting; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of example so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and to fully convey the scope of all aspects of invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout the description.

FIG. 1 illustrates a general working principle of a washing appliance according to an embodiment. The washing appliance may be embodied in the form of a washing machine, a dish washer, or any other appropriate appliance where heated drain water can be used to heat cold water supplied to the appliance.

The washing appliance is embodied in the form of a dish washer 100 where goods 101 are accommodated in an upper basket 102 and a lower basket 103 of a compartment 104 (commonly known as a tub) of the dish washer 100.

The bottom part of the tub 104 comprises a so-called sump 105 to which initially fresh and usually cold water, i.e. tap water, is supplied via sump valve 106 and sump water supply conduit 107 from water tank 108.

The cold water is heated by a heater (not shown) in the sump 105 to a desired temperature before being mixed with detergent—thereby creating process water for cleaning the goods 101—and circulated by a circulation pump (not shown) via spray arms (not shown) arranged to spray the hot process water over the goods 101 for cleaning, before the soiled hot process water flows down to the sump 105 either for being re-circulated or drained from the sump 105.

When the process water is determined to be too soiled for being recirculated, a drain pump 109 (at least partly) drains the sump 105 on the soiled hot process water via a drain water conduit 110 to a drain water inlet in of a heat exchanger 112. The process water being drained will in the following be referred to as drain water.

The heat exchanger 112 is embodied by having the drain water conduit no extend inside and coaxially with a fresh water conduit 113 into which water is supplied via a fresh water inlet 114 and possibly a fresh water inlet valve 115 for controlling the flow of fresh water into the fresh water inlet 114.

Thereby, heat is transferred from the hot drain water via a wall of the drain water conduit 110, embodied for instance in the form of a corrugated metal pipe, to the colder fresh water being supplied to the fresh water conduit 113 via the fresh water inlet 114.

The heated fresh water transported in the fresh water conduit 113 is supplied to the tank 108 via a fresh water outlet 116 from which the tank 108 is filled up with heated fresh water. The heated fresh water may then be supplied to the sump 105 via the sump valve 106 and the sump water supply conduit 107 for circulation in the tub 101.

When the process water is drained from the sump 105, the drain pump 109 creates a pulsed flow of process water until there is no more process water left to drain in the sump 105. The amount of heated fresh water supplied to the sump 105 via the sump valve 106 matches the amount of water being drained (at least on average over a given time period) to provide for optimal heat exchange.

Subsequently, the drain water in the drain water conduit no exits via a drain water outlet 117 in order to finally being drained to a sewer or a waste water tank (not shown).

As illustrated in FIG. 1 and in more detail on FIG. 2, the tank 108 is arranged on an external side of a main body 118 of the dish washer 100. A side of the tank 108 facing the main body 118 of the dish washer 100 will be referred to as a back side of the tank 108, while a side of the tank 108 facing away from the main body 118 will be referred to as a front side.

In FIG. 2, the drain water conduit 110 extends from inside the main body 118 of the dish washer into the tank 108, where the hot drain water enters the tank 108 at the drain water inlet 111, is transported through the drain water conduit no and exits the tank 108 via the drain water outlet 117 for final draining to a sewer or waste water tank.

The tank 108 and the arrangement of the drain water conduit no and the fresh water conduit 113 will be described in more detail in the following with reference to FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 illustrates the tank 108 where the front side has been removed, thereby showing an interior of the tank 108.

As is understood, the drain water conduit no extends inside coaxially with the fresh water conduit 113 (the fresh water conduit 113 is effectively formed when the front side is attached to the tank 108).

In this particular embodiment, the fresh water conduit 113—and thus the drain water conduit no—runs along a periphery of the tank 108. Advantageously this will create a large area of the drain water conduit 110 contacting the cold fresh water and will thus facilitate a high degree of heat exchange between the drain water conduit 110 and the cold fresh water being transported in the fresh water conduit 113.

As can be seen, the fresh water inlet 114 originates from the back side of the tank 108 and fills up the fresh water conduit 113 which runs along the periphery of the tank 108 coaxially with the drain water conduit no.

The direction of the cold fresh water in the fresh water conduit 113 will thus be opposite to the hot drain water running in the drain water conduit no.

Eventually, the fresh water in the fresh water conduit 113 will reach the fresh water outlet 116 and fill up the tank 108, given that the sump valve 106 controlling the flow of heated fresh water from the tank 108 and/or the fresh water conduit 113 into the sump water supply conduit 107 and further on to the sump 105 is closed. The sump valve 106 may be embodied in the form of an electrically controllable solenoid valve.

As can be seen in FIG. 3, the sump valve 106 is located in a small compartment in a lower right corner of the tank 108, into which the heated fresh water will flow via the sump water supply conduit 107. As soon as the sump valve 106 is opened, the heated fresh water will flow into the sump 105 via the sump water supply conduit 107 and the sump valve 106.

FIG. 4 illustrates the flow of fresh water in the fresh water conduit 113 and into the tank 108 in a first scenario for filling up the tank 108, and in a second scenario for supplying heated fresh water from the tank 108 and into the sump 105.

Hence, the fresh water enters via the fresh water inlet 114 from the back side of the tank 108 and fills up the fresh water conduit 113 which runs along the periphery of the tank 108 coaxially with the drain water conduit no in the direction indicated with continuous-line arrows. It is noted that the fresh water entering via the fresh water inlet 114 cannot enter the tank 108 by taking a direct left-turn since the tank 108 is equipped with interior blocking means for preventing such left-turn but must take a right-turn to fill up the fresh water conduit 113. As indicated with dashed-line arrows, the heated drain water flows in the drain water conduit 110 in a direction opposite to the fresh water flowing in fresh water conduit 113.

If the sump valve 106 is closed, the fresh water will upon reaching the fresh water outlet 116 fill up the tank 108 as indicated with 1). It is noted that a small amount of fresh water also will fill up the sump water supply conduit 107 at a bottom of the tank 108 as indicated with 2) but will come to a stop at the closed sump valve. Hence, as long as the sump valve 106 is closed, the level of heated fresh water will rise in the tank 108 until the supply of cold fresh water is stopped (or the tank 108 is full).

When the sump valve 106 is opened, the heated fresh water in the tank 108 will travel along the sump water supply conduit 107 and enter the sump 105 via the sump valve 106.

It is noted that FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrates only a small part of the sump valve 106. As is shown in the side perspective view of FIG. 5, a main part of the sump valve 106 is in practice physically located at a back side of the tank 108 but in fluid communication with the sump water supply conduit 107, where the heated fresh water eventually will end up after having travelled the fresh water conduit 113. It is noted that no drain water conduit is included in FIG. 5.

FIG. 6 illustrates the dish washer 100 previously described with reference to FIG. 1 but where a softener device 119 is utilized according to a further embodiment. In many parts of the world, water softening is applied to remove e.g. calcium and magnesium from “hard” water. The resulting “soft” water requires less detergent soap for the same cleaning effort, and soft water also extends lifetime of plumbing by reducing or eliminating scale build-up in pipes and fittings.

The softening process is well-known and will not be discussed in detail. However, in the softener device 119, hard water being input via the fresh water inlet valve 115 is forced to flow through a resin matrix, which will produce soft water in an ion exchange process. This will create a waste product containing calcium and magnesium. After several softening cycles, softening resins need to be regenerated forcing a brine solution to flow through the resin matrix. After the regeneration process the brine will be discharged to the sewage.

Now, the softener device 119 could be connected via a softener waste outlet and a valve (not shown) directly to the sump 105 for discharging the waste product to the sewage.

However, in this embodiment, a softener waste bypass conduit 120 is connected to the sump valve 106 (being located in the tank 108 as previously described) while a check valve 121 is utilized to prevent the salty waste product from entering the tank 108. A check valve is a one-way valve which only allows fluid to flow in one direction while blocking the fluid in the other.

FIG. 7 illustrates, as in FIG. 3, the sump valve 106 being located in the small compartment in the lower right corner of the tank 108. In contrast to FIG. 3, the tank 108 further comprises the softener waste bypass conduit 120, which bypass conduit 120 is embodied by an opening from the fresh water inlet 114 into the compartment where the sump valve 106 is located.

Further, between the sump water supply conduit 107 and the sump valve 106, the check valve 121 is arranged such the heated fresh water is allowed to pass from the sump water supply conduit 107 over the check valve 121 to the sump valve 106 and further on to the sump 105, but any softener waste being bypassed from the softener device 119 via the fresh water inlet 114 directly to the softener waste bypass conduit 120 and further on the sump valve 106 will be blocked by the check valve 121 and transported to the sump 105 if the sump valve is open 106.

If the sump valve 106 is closed, the fresh water will upon reaching the fresh water outlet 116 fill up the tank 108 as indicated with 1).

It is noted that a small amount of fresh water will pass directly via the softener waste bypass conduit 120 to the small compartment where the sump valve 106 is located. However, the sump valve 106 is currently closed, so no water will enter the sump 105 at this stage.

Further, a small amount of fresh water will fill up the sump water supply conduit 107 at a bottom of the tank 108 as indicated with 2), pass the check valve 121, but come to a stop at the closed sump valve 106. Hence, as long as the sump valve 106 is closed, the level of heated fresh water will rise in the tank 108 until the supply of cold fresh water is stopped (or the tank 108 is full).

When the sump valve 106 is opened, the heated fresh water in the tank 105 will travel along the sump water supply conduit 107 and enter the sump 105 via the check valve 121 and the sump valve 106.

Further, as soon as the softener waste is discharged from the softener device 119, it will travel via the fresh water inlet 114 directly to the softener waste bypass conduit 120 and further on the sump valve 106 as indicated by 3) for discharge to the sewage via the sump 105. The softener waste cannot enter the tank 108 due to the check valve 121.

FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of an interior of the tank 108 in a further embodiment. In this embodiment, the interior of the fresh water conduit 113 comprises protruding turbulators 122 b, 122 d, preferably along its complete length, for turning a laminar fresh water flow into a turbulent flow for providing a better heat exchange with the heated drained water being transported in the drain water conduit (not shown in FIG. 8). Being placed on different, such as opposite or other angular distance, sides of the fresh water conduit 113 along its length, the turbulators 122C, 122 d create a helical/twirling flow path along the fresh water conduit 113 thus creating a “zigzag” fresh water flow.

The turbulators 122 b 122 d also act as supporting members for the drain water conduit 110, i.e. centering the drain water conduit 110 in the fresh water conduit 113, thereby providing for continuous coaxiality of the drain water conduit 110 and the fresh water conduit 113.

FIG. 9 shows a different view illustrating the drain water conduit 110 being placed on the turbulators 122 a-e.

The aspects of the present disclosure have mainly been described above with reference to a few embodiments and examples thereof. However, as is readily appreciated by a person skilled in the art, other embodiments than the ones disclosed above are equally possible within the scope of the invention, as defined by the appended patent claims. 

1. A washing appliance comprising: a compartment configured to receive goods to be cleaned; a tank configured to contain a supply of water being supplied to the compartment; a valve in fluid communication with said tank and configured to control a flow of the water through the tank; a fresh water conduit extending inside the tank, the fresh water conduit being configured to transport the flow of the water supplied to the compartment; and a drain water conduit configured to transport heated process water drained from the compartment, the drain water conduit extending inside, and coaxially with, the fresh water conduit inside the tank.
 2. The washing appliance of claim 1, wherein the fresh water conduit and the drain water conduit are arranged along a periphery of the inside of the tank.
 3. The washing appliance of claim 1, further comprising: a drain pump configured to drain the heated process water from the compartment to a sewer or waste water tank by way of the drain water conduit and a drain water inlet of the tank.
 4. The washing appliance of claim 1, wherein the tank is arranged on an external side of a main body of the washing appliance.
 5. The washing appliance of claim 1, wherein the valve comprises a solenoid valve.
 6. The washing appliance of claim 1, wherein: the tank comprises a fresh water inlet via which water is supplied to one end of the fresh water conduit, said fresh water inlet being arranged at a lower section on one side of the tank; and the fresh water conduit comprises a fresh water outlet via which heated fresh water exits the fresh water conduit in another end for filling up the tank, said fresh water outlet being arranged at a lower section on an opposite side of the tank as the fresh water inlet.
 7. The washing appliance of claim 6, further comprising: a fresh water inlet valve configured to control the flow of water into the fresh water inlet.
 8. The washing appliance of claim 7, further comprising: a softener device to which the fresh water is supplied, the softener device being configured to soften the supplied fresh water; a bypass conduit configured to provide a direct connection between the fresh water inlet and the valve, via which bypass conduit a softener waste product is discharged into the compartment; and a check valve connected between the valve and a tank outlet via which heated fresh water is supplied to the compartment, the check valve being configured to allow fluid flow in a direction from the tank outlet to the valve and to prevent fluid flow in the opposite direction, thereby preventing the softener waste product from contacting the fresh water in the tank.
 9. The washing appliance of claim 1, the water being supplied to the compartment of the washing appliance being configured to be transported in the fresh water conduit in a first direction while the drained heated process water is configured to be transported in the drain water conduit in a second direction opposite to the first direction.
 10. The washing appliance of claim 1, wherein an interior of the fresh water conduit comprises protruding turbulators.
 11. The washing appliance of claim 10, wherein the protruding turbulators are arranged on different sides along a length of the fresh water conduit.
 12. The washing appliance of claim 1, wherein the washing appliance is a dish washer or a washing machine. 